Roles and eligibility requirements to apply for or hold College and Community Innovation program grant funds

On this page

• Applicant
• Co-applicant
• Collaborator
• Contributor
• Participant
• Partner (organization)
• Principal investigator
• Research grants officer
• Student

Applicant

The applicant is the individual mandated by the college responsible for preparing and submitting the CCI grant application through their research office. The applicant is also accountable to the host college for coordinating the financial and administrative aspects of the application and grant. The principal investigator of a project or research activity may be named as the applicant.

Before applying for a CCI grant, applicants are expected to consult with the relevant research administrators at their college (e.g., research office) and discuss relevant responsibilities and accountabilities. The applicant’s level of responsibility in administering a grant may vary based on the host college’s internal policies.

CCI program grants are institutional grants, i.e., the host college is considered the grant recipient. Applicants prepare and submit CCI grant applications and are responsible for the grant’s administration on behalf of their college and in cooperation with their research office. In the event of the applicant’s departure from their college or a change in their eligibility status, the host college may name an eligible replacement, subject to NSERC approval, and in accordance with the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration.

To be considered an applicant:

• You must hold or have a firm offer^{Footnote i} of a remunerated position at an eligible Canadian college^{Footnote ii} at the time of your application. This may include a faculty appointment, a position as a research administrator or technical/professional staff. Applicants holding a position at a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the college are not eligible;
• You must not be currently declared ineligible^{Footnote iii} to apply for and hold funding in any role for reasons of breach of responsible conduct of research policies, such as ethics, integrity, or financial management policies; and
• You must comply with the eligibility requirements at the time of application and during the tenure of the grant.

The applicant cannot be the same individual as the college’s research grants officer on the same CCI application and grant.

As an applicant, you must accept and comply with the terms and conditions of the application and any resulting grant.

The applicant is referred to as ‘primary applicant’ in the Convergence Portal.

Co-applicant

A co-applicant is an individual participating in a CCI application and grant who plays a significant role in the overall intellectual leadership or in the conduct of research and related activities. A co-applicant may be responsible for some financial aspects of the research and related activities as delegated by the applicant. The principal investigator of a project or research activities may be named as the co-applicant.

Before inviting co-applicants to collaborate, applicants are expected to discuss with the co-applicant how the grant’s financial responsibilities will be shared (i.e., through access to grant funds). For multi-institutional applications, a Transfer of funds agreement should be in place before the start of any collaboration.

To be considered a co-applicant:

• You must hold a remunerated position at, or be affiliated with, an eligible Canadian college or university at the time of the application. For college co-applicants, this may include a full- or part-time position, such as a faculty appointment, a position as a research administrator or technical/professional staff. Co-applicants holding a position at a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the college are eligible;
• You must not be currently declared ineligible^{Footnote iv} to apply for and hold funding, in any role, for reasons of breach of responsible conduct of research policies, such as ethics, integrity, or financial management policies;
• College co-applicants with part-time positions are expected to conduct the proposed research and related activities in addition to their regular responsibilities;
• University co-applicants must meet NSERC’s Eligibility requirements for university faculty to apply for or hold grant funds; and
• You must comply with the eligibility requirements at the time of application and during the tenure of the grant.

Depending on the CCI funding opportunity, the co-applicant role on a CCI application and grant is optional.

As a co-applicant, you must accept and comply with the terms and conditions of the application and any resulting grant.

Collaborator

A collaborator is a participant in a CCI application and grant whose expertise complements the core research team. They contribute to the overall intellectual direction and participate in research and related activities. Their participation is self-funded, as collaborators do not have access to grant funds.

A collaborator does not have access to the grant funds nor plays a role in the financial aspects of the grant. Furthermore, grant funds cannot be used to cover collaborator expenses; they must provide their own financial resources unless otherwise permitted by a specific CCI funding opportunity.

A collaborator may come from partner organizations who contribute to the overall intellectual direction of the research and related activities. A collaborator may also come from the applicant or co-applicant’s institution; however, this would typically be an individual from a different department.

The collaborator role on a CCI application and grant is optional.

Contributor

A contributor is an individual designated by the applicant to help complete and edit the CCI grant application.

A contributor does not participate in the research and related activities, so their information is not needed in the CCI grant application.

The contributor role on a CCI application is optional.

Participant

A participant is an individual participating in a CCI application and grant who contributes to the overall intellectual direction by conducting research and related activities. The participant does not have responsibility for the financial aspects of the application and grant.

A participant may be a faculty member, professional/technical or other individuals affiliated with the host college or a co-applicant institution. A participant must be qualified to conduct research and is expected to report to the research team leadership (applicant, co-applicants).

Depending on the CCI funding opportunity, the participant role on a CCI application and grant is optional.

Partner (organization)

A partner is a private, public or not-for-profit organization that actively participates in the research and related activities of a CCI application and grant and makes cash and/or in-kind contributions. An authorized individual from the organization represents the partner organization.

The CCI program’s partnership guidelines provide more information on the roles and responsibilities of partner organizations.

Depending on the CCI funding opportunity, the partner role on a CCI application and grant is optional.

Principal investigator

The principal investigator is the individual mandated by the college responsible for the overall intellectual leadership and direction of the research and related activities of a CCI application and grant. The principal investigator may be designated as the applicant or co-applicant and may be responsible for the financial and administrative aspects of the application and grant according to their defined role.

The principal investigator must:

• be qualified to undertake the research independently;
• meet the eligibility criteria for their defined role (i.e., applicant or co-applicant).

The principal investigator is included as ‘primary applicant’ or ‘co-applicant’ in the Convergence Portal.

Research grants officer

The research grants officer is the authorized institutional contact who confirms the host college will take responsibility for the administration of the grant funds, should the application be awarded funding. The research grants officer is expected to guide the applicant on using grant funds, as per the terms and conditions of the respective CCI funding opportunity and the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration. Other terms may be used to refer to the research grants officer, including RGO, authorized representative, research administrator and institutional representative.

The research grants officer is expected to:

• verify the eligibility of the applicant and other members of the research team;
• verify the eligibility of any co-applicants from other institutions and confirm with the authorized representatives from the other institutions that the co-applicants have approval to participate in the proposed activities; and
• ensure that the college meets its obligations and responsibilities, including compliance with the Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions, the Tri-agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration and the relevant CCI program grant literature.

As part of their pre-award responsibilities, the research grants officer is authorized to access, browse, approve and forward the college’s CCI grant application to NSERC. This includes returning an application to the applicant should it be deemed incomplete or unsatisfactory, along with the required changes, if applicable.

Further roles and responsibilities of the research grants officer are detailed in the Administering institutions section of the Tri-agency financial administration page.

The research grants officer cannot be the applicant on the same CCI application and grant.

To register as a research grants officer, the prospective individual must submit the Registration Form for Master Research Administrators, NSERC and SSHRC Research Portal by email to institution@nserc-crsng.gc.ca and to colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca, indicating in the email that the form is for accessing the Convergence Portal.

Once the request has been approved, the research grants officer will be able to access the Convergence Portal and will have to read, accept and comply with the Terms and conditions for applying for research administrators in the Convergence Portal before being able to submit an application to the granting agency. All changes to the college's research grants officer must be communicated to colleges@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

The research grants officer is referred to as ‘research administrator’ in the Convergence Portal.

Student

A student is an individual participating in a CCI application and grant currently enrolled part-time or full-time in a program of study at a post-secondary institution.

College students are required on a CCI application and grant (unless otherwise specified). Former college students, within one year of graduation, will also be considered eligible participants.

University students and post-doctoral fellows are:

• to be remunerated as technical or professional university staff or as consultants in the budget table;
• considered research trainees for reporting purposes.

A college student training component is required per the relevant CCI funding opportunity (unless otherwise specified). It is the intention of the CCI program that allocated funds be used primarily for college students.

Students can be included in an application but do not have a specific role in the Convergence Portal; therefore, their individual information is not needed in the CCI grant application.

Please consult relevant CCI funding opportunities for additional information.